The Effect of Completing the Beck Depression Inventory on Self-Reported Mood State: Contrast and Assimilation

Abstract

It was hypothesized that completion of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) would influence self-reported mood, through subjects' comparison of their own state with the affectively negative content of the BDI. In Study 1, college students completed the BDI, Snyder's Self-Monitoring scale, or no initial questionnaire before completing a 20-item mood measure. Given the generally positive affective state and self-relevant constructs of college students, it was expected that subjects completing the BDI would contrast their own state with its affectively dissimilar content and would derive from the BDI a (negative) standard of reference against which they would evaluate their current state; consequently, it was hypothesized that completion of the BDI would result in a more positive mood. As predicted, subjects who had completed the BDI reported the most positive affect. In Study 2, subjects were dichotomized on depression scores and completed the BDI either before or after a mood measure. It was expected that, among subjects who completed the BDI first, nondepressed subjects would contrast the BDI content and report more positive moods, but depressed subjects would assimilate the BDI content and report more negative moods. Overall, subjects reported more positive mood after completing the BDI. However; this effect was attenuated for the depressed group. In Study 3 a more depressed group was employed, and the predicted interaction was observed. That is, depressed subjects were more negative, and nondepressed subjects more positive, if they first completed the BDL. The results are discussed in terms of the implications for future research and the interpretation of past research.